The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has approved the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation (SDF) for registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), formally authorising the organisation to receive donations from foreign sources.
The clearance is significant. FCRA registration is granted by the MHA only after a background check of the applicant organisation and its key functionaries. The approval signals that the government found no regulatory bar to the Foundation receiving foreign funds.
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The ED Cloud On Dhawan’s Foundation
The approval comes months after the Enforcement Directorate summoned Dhawan for questioning in a money laundering probe linked to the illegal online betting platform 1xBet in September 2025. The ED recorded his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), seeking to establish the nature of his association with the app through endorsements. Former cricketer Suresh Raina and actor Rana Daggubati were questioned in the same probe.
No charges were filed against Dhawan in connection with the case. The MHA’s FCRA approval — which requires scrutiny of the organisation’s leadership — now puts an effective government stamp of clean chit on the Foundation’s operations.
What Does This FCRA Approval Mean For Shikhar Dhawan?
Without FCRA registration, an NGO cannot legally accept a single rupee from a foreign donor. With it, the Shikhar Dhawan Foundation can now tap into international philanthropic funding — bilateral donors, foreign foundations, and overseas Indians — to scale its operations across India. About 16,000 organisations are registered under FCRA in India.
The Foundation currently adopts 11 NGOs each year working across social causes in India.